Case Studies Region: Midwest

It was an ordinary doughnut shop in International Falls, Minnesota—part of the Tim Hortons chain and a place for people to come for a snack or linger over coffee with friends. The shop was also part of the portfolio of plumbing and HVAC mechanical contracting services provided by Shannon’s, a family-owned business based in International […]

It seems that once a month, a large, big-box retailer announces it’s closing stores in markets big and small. However, quite the opposite is happening for Northern Tool + Equipment, which is opening locations in the country’s third-largest market—Chicago—while keeping an eye on expansion into new states across the country. “To say we’ve been busy […]

When patients are referred to a physical or occupational therapist, they sometimes struggle to keep up with their stretches or exercises after sessions are finished. For patients at Columbus Regional Health, this will soon be made easier by a partnership with the local parks and recreation department. After an appointment, they’ll be able to walk […]

There are obvious reasons why Chicago-based law firm Chapman and Cutler would move from its more-than-a-century-old office to a new location. But according to Doug Domenick, the firm’s chief facilities management and workplace strategies officer, the move was also made with some not-so-obvious intentions. “The nature of work has changed,” he says. “Our new office […]

They built it and people came. But more importantly to Dan Mitchell, when they reopened Chicago’s Navy Pier in March, people came back. Pre-COVID-19,  Navy Pier drew more than 9 million visitors annually—people coming to shops, restaurants and attractions Mitchell helped develop in a career that’s brought him back to the pier repeatedly over the […]

As a teenager growing up in San Antonio, Texas, Darrell Thompson believed at the time he had no skills, no future and was a person lacking ambition. That changed when he joined the Navy. Now, 39 years after coming ashore, Thompson’s successfully navigating a sea of high-tech projects as the director of facilities at Center […]

Usually when a school gets new lockers, it’s not that exciting. Students at Fort Wayne Community Schools, however, are ecstatic about theirs. That’s because they’re involved in the locker renovations, along with a host of other school upgrades, from design to completion. Darren Hess, director of facilities for the Indiana school district, and his team […]

During the economic downturn and recession in 2008 and 2009, just before Duane Boris came to work at Northern Tool, the Minnesota-based construction equipment provider faced a choice: Continue as it had or adapt to the changing marketplace. It did the same thing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Boris says. “Even though we’ve been […]

Years ago, if David Timm’s pager went off at 1 a.m. with news that water was inundating the basement of St. Mary Mercy Hospital, he might’ve lost his mind. Therein lies the beauty of being a director of facilities for more than three decades: If you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it a thousand times […]

Movin’ on up in the South Side is proving a tough job for the University of Chicago Medicine system. The demand for new and expanded services is there, but the land is not. When the system does find new spaces to buy or lease, Director of Architectural Services Deb Antes leads the buildout process. She […]